The thing about a headboard is that it's not free. And what does it do, exactly, besides make your bed look like it's meant to be there? (Very little.) Even the noncrafty might consider a DIY headboard for the simple fact that it will be more cost-effective than buying one new, but then there is the question of how to build a headboard. . . and where to find the time . . . and one's ineptitude with tools. Fortunately for everyone considering such a task, some of our favorite DIY headboards are more like instant-headboards—they require very little DIY-ing at all. Architects Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger found a pair of foamy acoustic panels and simply hung them on the exposed brick wall behind their bed (and they probably could have used sticky Command hooks to make such lightweight panels stick). Take their cue or pick from 17 other options below. You might need to hang something, or wedge it between the wall and your mattress—but serious tools can be put away for another time. The hardest part will be choosing which you like best.

Hang a Textile

If the weave is loose enough, you can nail it directly to the wall. Rugs can even work for this! Choose something equal to the width of the bed or just wider.

Wedge a Folding Screen Flat Behind It

Lean Art on a Shelf

Only works, of course, if your bed can be pushed up to a shelf on the wall (windowsills count!). Art is just one option for what to put there, but it's certainly more sturdy than, say, a vintage bottle collection.

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